Young ODU basketball team prepares for Europe trip

NORFOLK — — They don't need nametags or campus maps pinned to their shirts, but the members of Old Dominion's youthful basketball team are getting an early crash course in college hoops.

The Monarchs began practice last week in preparation for an upcoming trip to Europe. The players eagerly anticipate the chance to bond and sightsee in Greece and Italy, though the learning curve in the gym for many of them right now is steep.

"Practices have been tough," said freshman Aaron Bacote from Bethel High. "They've been longer than what the new guys are used to, and way more physical and faster than the new guys are used to. We're getting the hang of it. We've got a short window from here until we go to Europe."

Bacote is one of six freshmen and seven newcomers on the roster, making the Monarchs one of the nation's youngest teams for 2012-13. ODU graduated 59 percent of the scoring, 54 percent of the rebounding and some percentage north of that in leadership — seniors Kent Bazemore, Chris Cooper, Trian Iliadis and Marquel De Lancey — from a team that finished 22-14.

Redshirt senior Nick Wright and junior Donte Hill are the only two upperclassmen with extensive experience at ODU

The NCAA permits basketball programs an overseas trip every four years, and 10 accompanying practice sessions. Given ODU's youth, it's a worthy venture.

"The thing that's apparent is that we're young," said assistant coach Jim Corrigan, who ran the first couple of practices while head coach Blaine Taylor recovered from an illness at home. "At times, they get frustrated. At times, we get frustrated. But it's all part of the learning process. We're just fortunate to have these 10 practices and these games this summer, so that when we start practice in October we'll be much further along and we'll have a little bit of experience."

"I try to help the younger guys," said guard Dimitri Batten from Kecoughtan, a redshirt sophomore who is suddenly one of the team elders. "Teach them some of the plays and tell them not to get frustrated, like I used to get frustrated when I was a freshman. I tell them, you can't get frustrated, you've just got to keep playing through it."

The Monarchs' newcomers are an interesting, diverse group. The 6-5 Bacote and 6-4 Deion Clark are fluid, skilled wings, 6-1 Keenan Palmore is a point guard. Late signee Ambrose Mosley from Massanutten Academy is a combo guard who once made nine 3-pointers in a game.

Ekene Anachebe, every bit of 6-9 and 265 pounds, has the kind of frame that Taylor and strength and conditioning coaches salivate over. Stuart McEwen, a 6-9 Australia native by way of a Connecticut prep school, enrolled at ODU last winter and practiced with the team. He is skilled, but needs strength.

Transfer DeShawn Painter from N.C. State, granted an NCAA waiver to play immediately, adds much-needed size (6-9, 235) and playing experience. But he, too, is a newcomer to ODU's system and will require time to acclimate.

"The young players are good and they're going to be good players," Corrigan said. "They just have to get used to the college game — the speed of it, the physicality, the intensity of practice. This is all new to them and they're going to have an adjustment period. We're fortunate that it's happening in August, so that when we start practice in October, they kind of know what's coming, they've been through some of it already. Hopefully, that'll pay dividends earlier in our season."

Bacote said the biggest adjustment for him is the physical nature of the college game. He has gained 10 pounds since he arrived on campus a few weeks back, but at 177 pounds, he knows he must get stronger.

"In high school, nobody really set hard screens," he said, by way of example, "and it wasn't 6-9 guys setting screens. Now, you've got Ekene or DeShawn setting a screen for you, that's a big difference. Just getting accustomed to that — the physicality of the game and going hard every play."

The more physical elements of the college game also contain mental components, as well. Corrigan chuckled as he talked about the freshmen absorbing contact during scrimmage sessions.

"They'll stop play (and act is if), 'Hey, I got fouled,'" he said. "No you didn't. That's not a foul any more. You're not the superstar player in high school who all the refs liked. You're a freshman. That's the biggest adjustment, those kind of things."

The freshmen also must absorb offensive and defensive fundamentals and plays more quickly than the coaches normally teach in preseason and beyond, because of the compressed practice schedule.

"Patience is important," Bacote said. "I talked to some of the older guys and the guys who graduated. They watch practice and see that we're going real fast, they say we've got to slow down. I always thought of myself as a patient person, but I seem to be getting sped up in practice. You see what you want to do and you want to do it so fast, but you've got to take your time and learn."

The Monarchs depart Aug. 14 and will be gone 10 days. They will play two games in Italy and two in Greece.

"It's going to help a whole lot," Batten said. "It's going to build some chemistry for early in the season, so we can see where we are. We'll get ahead of other teams. Most teams aren't doing this. It'll help team bonding. Chemistry is a key thing, that's the way I see it."